Le conflit chypriote relocalisé à Londres : pratiques transnationales de la frontière

Abstract

This paper examines the transformation of the Cypriot conflict through its relocation in the London diaspora. It juxtaposes the newly recomposed and intangible border in the diaspora to the physical one in Cyprus, showing how the two connect and interact. It recalls the historical transformations of the London Cypriot diaspora to explain the appearance of the border between Greek and Turkish Cypriots after the 1974 war and division of Cyprus. It deconstructs the idea of a massive Greek Cypriot refugee influx to the UK and shows how Cypriot refugees who were forced to make a temporary stay permanent, with no prospect of return, transformed and reinvented the diaspora and its power relations. It explores those transformations through the analysis of the political transnational engagements of three Cypriots in the diaspora. This work then shows how this recomposed and intangible border connects with, interacts with and impacts the physical border in Cyprus.

Keywords

• diaspora
• conflict
• border
• Greek Cypriots
• Turkish Cypriots
• intercommunal relations